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Year 2 NSF > Small Mammals - Ferrets > Flashcards

Small Mammals - Ferrets Flashcards

1
Q

What is the taxonomy of ferrets?

A

o Phylum: Chordata
o Class: Mammalia
o Order: Carnivora
o Family: Mustelidae (weasel, skunk, badger)
o Genus: Mustela
o Species: putorius furo

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2
Q

What are the names of female, male, vasectomised male and baby ferret?
Neutered male and Neutered female

A
  1. female - Jill
  2. Male - Hob
  3. Hoblet
    Baby- kitten or pup
  4. Gib=Neutered male
  5. Sprite=Neutered female
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3
Q

What is the lifespan and weight?

A
  1. 6-9 years

2. 0.6 - 2 kg females are 600 - 1.5 kg

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4
Q

Talk about the glands of ferrets

A
  1. No sweat glands - prone to overheating
  2. Sebaceous Glands - found all over body, high density around mouth and anus - odour
  3. Anal Glands - well developed
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5
Q

Describe the spinal vertebrae

A

C7 T15 L5 S3 Cd18

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6
Q

Feet

A

5 toes

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7
Q

What is interesting about the zygomatic bones

A
  1. unclosed - open orbit like the dog
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8
Q

Ferret dentition formula

A

I 3/3 C 1/1 PM 3/3 M 1/2 = 34

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9
Q

What type of dentition do ferrets have?

A

Brachydont dentition - short crown and well-developed roots that contain a narrow pulp canal.

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10
Q

Name the paired glands of the ferret to do with the digestive system

A 
o	Submandibular
o	Parotid
o	Sublingual
o	Molar
o	Zygomatic
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11
Q

When does digestion in the ferret begin?

A
  1. don’t really chew
  2. Likely saliva is for lubrication rather than digestion
  3. no amylase activity in the parotid or submandibular
  4. digestion therefore doesn’t start until reaches stomach
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12
Q

What is the nerve supply to the salivary gland?

A
  1. Sympathetic – cranial cervical ganglion

2. Parasympathetic – facial, glossopharyngeal or trigeminal

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13
Q

Stomach

A

• Simple stomached
2. Stomach is large and capable of enormous distension and allows gorging
o Can hold 50ml/kg or more
3. Secreted HCL even when not fed - inc acid, bad!
• No true gastro-oesophageal sphincter
o Therefore, they CAN VOMIT
o Often regurgitate food

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14
Q

What happens if starve and surgery

A
  1. Ferrets have a rapid intestinal transit time so you don’t have to starve for long periods (2-3 hrs before surgery)
  2. If starve too earyl they suffer with hypothermia and hypoglycaemia
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15
Q

What sort of eaters are ferrets and what is the best ratio of foods?

A
  1. obligate carnivores - lack ability to digest fibre
  2. high protein diet 34-40%, 20% fat and 25% carb
  3. Over 4 % ferrets have issues with malnutrition. Results in gastro intestinal issues and diarrhoea
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16
Q

What is the oesophagus like? how is this similar and different to other species?

A
  1. like DOG striated muscle THROUGHOUT length

2. Cat has smooth muscle for the last 1/3 rd

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17
Q

Small intestine

A

• Small intestine – approx 190cm long
o Duodenum
o Jejunum, Ileum (jejunoileum)
o Ends at ascending colon (no cecum, no distinct junction between SI and colon and no ileocolic valve

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18
Q

Large intestine

A

• Large intestine – approx 10cm long

o Ascending, transverse, descending colon

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19
Q

Respiratory system

A
  1. NOT obligate nasal breathers, but do preferentially use this route
  2. Pant if too hot
  3. Long narrow thoracic cavity
  4. Lungs have a large volume relative to body size (oppo in rabbit)
  5. Left lung has 2 lobes, cranial and caudal
  6. Right lung has 4 lobes: cranial, middle, accessory, causal
20
Q

Tubing is difficult if want to feed artificially so what?

A

Oesophagostomy tube better choice

21
Q

To listen to the heart

A
  1. Auscultated more caudally than dog or cat, 6-8 rib space
In dog heart between ribs 3 and 6
LHS: 
Pulmonic valve = rib space 3 
Aortic = 4 and dorsally 
Mitral = 5

RHS:
Tricuspid = and in spaces 4 or 5

22
Q

Usual respiratory rate

A

30-40 breaths pm

23
Q

What is the resting heart rate

A

o 180-250bpm

24
Q

How do we assess cardiovascular performance in ferrets?

A

o Pulse pressure
o Pulse not reliably palpable in ferrets
o Urine output -Used as an indirect measurement of cardiac output (how much blood pumping and how hard kidneys working)

25
Q

What is ferret blood volume as a % of body weight!

A

5-7% of body weight

26
Q

If youre doing serial blood samples on ferrets what % can you not exceed and in what time period and why?

A

no more than 15% of total blood volume extracted over 28days in order so can regenerate

27
Q

What is their PCV

A

high! up to 61% can be normal! (would expect 30-50% in dogs and cats!)

28
Q

Blood transfusion?

A

YES
Don’t need to cross match
severe cases of post oestrus anaemia need a BT

29
Q

Where do you blood sample from?

A

o Cephalic vein, front leg
o Jugular vein
o Tail artery may be used in laboratory animals (don’t use in practise as others easier)

30
Q

How do we sex ferrets

A
  1. Obvious size difference
  2. Males - testes and penis obvious
  3. Preputial opening on abdomen is a lot further forward than might expect
  4. females - vulva under tail, cranial to anus
  5. swells considerably when in season
31
Q

What age do ferrets reach puberty?

A

6-9 months

32
Q

Urinary system broad overview

A
  1. Similar anatomy to dog and cat
  2. Retroperitoneal bean shaped kidneys like cat and dog
  3. DIFFERENT serum chemistry - C and D have inc creatinine and urea. If inc urea in ferret indicates kidney disease
  4. Creatinine doesn’t rise in parallel with increased urea in kindey disease
33
Q

Which sex is most likely to suffer from urethral blockages and why?
What to use

A

MALES

  1. due to prostate enlargement associated with adrenal disease (most common)
  2. Urolithiassis, can get stones if inappropriate diet (less common)
    - urinary acidifiers or alkifiers to treat
  3. Catheterisation can be difficult due to the j shaped of penis
  4. Use plenty of flush, lubrication, pain relief and small diameter 3.0 or 3.5F catheter
34
Q

What sort of uterus does the female ferret have?

A
  1. bicornuate Y shaped uterus

2. similar to bitch therefore neutering is similar too

35
Q

Hob repro anatomy

A
  1. Similar to dog
  2. Major difference is J shaped os pnis
  3. Testes are small relative to body size
36
Q

what type of ovulators are ferrets?

A

seasonal poly oestrus reflex ovulators

37
Q

What season do ferrets come into season and why

A
  1. late winter, early spring
  2. as daylenght increases
  3. melatonin conc decreases
38
Q

What happens if jills aren’t mated

A
  1. Failure of jill to mate results in continual high exposure to high oestrogen. This leads to bone marrow depression, anaemia & DEATH
  2. Thus, the female ferret, unlike other mammals, MUST be mated, or sham mated by a vasectomised (hoblet), or given chemical oestrus suppression drugs
39
Q

Why can’t we just spay female ferret? And if we do spay when do we do so?

A
  1. makes them more prone to adrenal disease which is life threatening.
  2. If spay tend to wait for them to have a few seasons however still risk issues with hormone feedback loops
  3. neutering removed feedback inhibition from gonadal steroids, resulting in constant high levels of GnRH, thus high levels of LH and FSH
40
Q

adrenal gland anatomy

A
  • Lie near each kidney embedded in fat & covered by peritoneum.
  • Both lie ventral to ipsilateral adrenolumbar artery so difficult to perform surgery on
  • Left adrenal approx 6-8mm in length. Close to adrenolumbar vein and abdominal aorta
  • Right gland 8-11 mm long. In close apposition to caudal vena cava and caudate lobe of the liver
  • Blood supply from ipsilateral renal artery
41
Q

What does adrenal disease in hobs and jills tend to be associated with. And not associated with?

A
  1. NOT associated with pituitary function like in dog
  2. Associated with:
    o Neutering in males and females, especially early
    o Abnormal photoperiod (i.e. animals housed indoors subject to abnormally long periods of ‘daylight’)
    o Genetic component?
42
Q

What are common signs of adrenal disease?

A
  • Alopecia is a common presenting sign
  • Distended belly
  • Itching
  • Weight loss and muscle loss
  • Vulva swelling mimicking increased oestrogen hormone and male’s aggressive sexual behaviour
  • Male more aggressive and female more “mothery”
  • Trouble urinating as overproduction of sex steroids causes prostate to enlarge, especially for male
43
Q

Why does adrenal disease occur?

A

• Occurs as a result of over-production of sex hormones by the adrenal glands (from zona reticularis)
- Estradiol
- Androsterone and testosterone
-17-alpha hydroxyprogesterone
• Not overproduction of corticosteroids (so different pathology to adrenal disease in the dog as dog inc)

44
Q

How to prevent adrenal disease?

A

• Keep entire jills with a vasectomised male
-Mating results in ovulation thus reducing risk of excessive prolonged oestrogen production
• Depot injections of GnRH agonist which increases secretion for short period then overstimulation acts in negative feedback = reduced stimulation of adrenal glands.
-Reduces release of LH, and hence reduces stimulation of the adrenals
• If neutering performed, ensure ferrets are mature (can used GnRH agonist in addition to surgical sterilisation) = bit of negative feedback in hypothalamus and pituitary
• What about treatment Adrenal disease? – GnRH agonists, surgery. (papers of vital on surgical and non surgical options)

45
Q

Why can’t you starve ferrets?

A

• Stomach – simple stomach and large, secretes HCl even when NOT fed. Inc acid production if starved
• Rapid intestinal transit time: don’t have to starve for long period (2-3 hrs before surgery.)
-Starve too early = issues with hypothermia and hypoglycaemia

Year 2 NSF (10 decks)

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